Industries and economic activities

During the Industrial Revolution many industries were set up

in Britain and they gradually turned the country into the most
influential power in the world's economy. However, after WWII
the economy of the UK went into a decline. It took the country
several years to recover and it never regained its previous
position in the world. Nowadays, the UK is facing renewed
problems after the 1998 economic crisis.
As regards the types of economic activities and industries in
Britain we will only mention some of the main ones and where
they are carried out.
Towards the south of London the main productive activities
involve the growing of fruit and vegetables as well as sheep
farming. There was never much industry in this sector. Still in
the south of England but a bit to the west we find what is
called the "West country where there is some industry but
farming is the main economic activity. To the north-east of
London, East Anglia focuses mainly on the growing of wheat
and other arable crops.
In the Midlands area we find many industrial cities and towns.
Birmingham, Britain's second largest city, arose during the
Industrial Revolution and became one of the major
engineering centres. Despite the decline suffered by
industries in the XX century, Birmingham is still an important
industrial centre in the country, whose main production is
associated with iron and steel. Other industrial areas in the
midlands are "The Potteries" (between the Black country and
Manchester) and Grimsby (on the east coast). The first is
well known for producing china and the second for the
processing of fish.
In Northern England, on either side of the Pennines, there
are large amounts of coal and iron, which contributed for the
Industrial Revolution to take place. In the same area, the city
of Manchester is located, famous in the XIX century for its
production of cotton goods. Other activities carried out in
the area during that period are the production of steel goods,
woollen goods, and coal mining. This area suffered greatly
during the decline in the industrial sector in the second
half of the XX century.
As regards Scotland, the main activity in the south is
sheep farming; whereas, in the highlands the economy
depends greatly on tourism and the production of whisky.
In the central plain, industries suffered a fate similar to that
of industries in the north of England in the late XX century.
The one that suffered the least and helped keeping the
area afloat was the North Sea oil industry. Glasgow, the
largest city in the country, is generally associated with heavy
industry.